[LINK] Govt redacts ISP anti-piracy consultation text

[Kim Holburn]

http://delimiter.com.au/2011/10/17/govt-redacts-isp-anti-piracy-consultation-text/


> Govt redacts ISP anti-piracy consultation text

> news The Federal Government has quietly deleted a controversial section of text published in a consultation paper last Friday that proposed a “streamlined” legal process to aid anti-piracy organisations such as Movie Rights Group and AFACT to target individuals  allegedly downloading copyrighted material online.

....

> “Not only are we seeing a clandestine process that excludes civil society and the public at a critical juncture in the development of policy, we are now seeing a deliberate attempt to suppress contributions from them,” said Rodney Serkowski, President of Pirate Party Australia. “Perhaps this is because the outcomes of the ‘consultative process’ are predetermined, and the facade of ‘open government’ has to be maintained. Now that we have raised serious issues, like the streamlined invasion of privacy, the process of consultation has been heavily restricted.”
> 
> “Of course, this could only be administrative incompetence, but the previous actions of the Attorney-General’s Department do not lend themselves to this explanation,” added Serkowski.
> 
> On Friday, before the new redacted version of the consultation paper appeared, EFA board member Kimberley Heitman said the consultation paper was worth public comment, and his organisation would respond. “Obviously the expansion of the safe harbour definition will be advantageous for Internet businesses other than carriers, and a summary procedure for identifying end-users has been long desired by big media companies,” Heitman said.
> 
> “The Government should step back, however, and understand that this consultation paper illustrates how flawed its consultation process to date has been. There are no consumer issues for discussion, only law reform for business interests. For example, why is there no attempt to deal with the causes of unauthorised downloading, which include restrictive trade practices and industry indifference to minority markets? Why is there no acknowledgement that in a broadband environment, IP addresses are shared?”
> 
> “There is much more to public consultation than telling the public that the Government has signed a secretive trade agreement or has done a deal with private industry. Department of Communications: Learn how to communicate!”


-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
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